Toy bubble gun



Feb. 1, 1955 c. ARLlss ,7

TOY BUBBLE GUN Filed Feb. 10, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY C. ARLISS TOY BUBBLE GUN Feb. 1, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 10, 1954 FlG.4

INVENTOR C fiarles 172'] Z55 J ATTORNEY United States Patent TOY BUBBLE GUN Charles Arliss, Bayside, N. Y., assignor to Arliss Co. Inc., Kings County, N. Y.

Application February 10, 1954, Serial No. 409,297

Claims. (Cl. 46-8) This invention relates to toy guns and, more particularly, to an improved and simplified toy gun for discharging bubbles responsive to actuation of a trigger.

Various arrangements and devices have been proposed for mechanically forming and discharging bubbles, formed from soap films, for example, and some of these devices have taken the form of toy guns. As essentials, such devices include means for forming a film of bubble forming solution across an aperture and means for directing an air stream against such film to form and dislodge the bubble. The film is usually formed by dipping a ring or other apertured member into a reservoir containing the film solution and then positioning the ring in the path of an air stream.

Such devices as hitherto proposed have been characterized by complex constructions and cumbersome operation. Generally, formation and discharge of the bubble has required conjoint manipulation of two or more controls. While a few devices have been operated by a single control, the mechanism has been relatively complicated and liable to derangement, particularly when operated by a child. The arrangements for holding the film solution have been inefficient and unsatisfactory, resulting in solution loss due to leakage, and the operating parts have been difficult to properly assemble. This latter factor increases the cost of the device.

In view of the foregoing, the present invention is directed to a novel, simplified, and rugged trigger-operated bubble gun, in which the film solution reservoir is sealed except when a bubble is actually being formed and discharged. A simplified trigger arrangement is provided for conjointly withdrawing an apertured member out of the reservoir and operating an air forcing means to discharge an air stream against the film on such member, the member preferably being so withdrawn slightly in advance of operation of the air forcing means.

A feature of the invention is the formation of the several operating parts as individual units arranged to be operatively associated upon assembly of the units in proper position in the gun casing. Thus, the air forcing means preferably comprises a resiliently collapsible bulb having a rigid conduit secured to its open end and serving as a positioning support for the bulb to position the same for operative association with the trigger.

The casing, which is formed of two mating halves, has a muzzle discharge opening beneath which is a reservoir for the film forming solution. This reservoir has an opening in its top wall arranged to be normally closed by a cover on the outer end of a lever pivoted intermediate its ends in the casing. The outer end of this lever also has rigidly secured thereto, or integral therewith, an apertured member or ring which is dipped in the reservoir when the cover is closed. The lever unit is constructed for easy mounting in the casing and serves to properly orient the cover with the reservoir and the apertured member with the reservoir and with the aforementioned conduit and the muzzle aperture.

The trigger, and its operating means for the bulb and the lever, also form a separate unit. When this unit is positioned in the casing, a pressure surface on the trlgger is automatically positioned adjacent the bulb, and a forked arm means on the lever is automatically positioned in 0perative relation to the inner end of the lever. Preferably the three mentioned units are all assembled in one half of the casing, after which the second half of the casing is easily assembled to the first half, a flash suppressor being secured to the muzzle ends of the two halves.

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For an understanding of the invention principles, reference is made to the following description of a typical embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Flg. l is an elevation view of the invention bubble gun, with one casing section removed;

Fig. 2 is an outside elevation view of the invention bubble gun;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation view looking at the muzzle end of the gun shown in Figs. 1 and 2; and

Fig. 4 is an elevation view, similar to Fig. 1, illustrating another embodiment of the invention gun.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the invention gun includes an outer casing 10 having the general form of a ray gun or atomic pistol" such as popularized in space stories and pictures. The casing is preferably molded from a suitable composition material, and comprises mating halves 10a and 10b provided with the usual mating pins and holes for assembly. Only section 10a will be described in some detail.

The casing 10 includes a handle 11, a trigger guard 12, a chamber 13, and a muzzle 14 having a discharge opening 15 therein. Handle 11 is formed with a trigger slot 16 in its inner surface, and a sight 17 may be formed on the upper edge of the casing. A barrel 18 joins chamber 13 to muzzle 14. The aperture 15 is surrounded by a flange 21 and, after the two casing halves 10a and 10b' are engaged in assembly, a flash suppressor 20, in the form of an angularly truncated cone is slipped over this ring.

Cone 20 is formed with an inner wall 22 which is substantially a continuation of the top wall 23 of a reservoir 25 formed in the muzzle portion of the casing and disposed beneath aperture 15. Reservoir top wall 23 has an opening 24 therein, which is preferably rectangular and formed with a recessed periphery as indicated at 26.

Air for forming and discharging bubbles is provided by trigger-operated air forcing means including a resiliently collapsible bulb 30 having a relatively rigid conduit 35 secured to the open end of bulb 30. Conduit 35 has a passage 31 formed therethrough and includes an enlargement 32 secured in the neck of bulb 30, a main section 33, and an offset discharge end 34 aligned centrally of aperture 15 and terminating inwardly of muzzle section 14. Main conduit section 33 seats in a conforming recess 36 in a partition 27 in casing section 10A, and the conduit may have projecting locating pins 37 fitting in sockets 38 in section 10A. The rigidly positioned conduit 35, which may be formed of a suitable plastic composition material, serves to locate and retain bulb 30 in operative relation to the trigger of the gun. In'Figs. 1, 2 and 3, bulb 30 is located in handle 11.

Partition 27 also serves to locate a lever 40 carrying a cover 45, for the opening 24 in reservoir 25, and a film forming apertured member or ring 50. For this purpose, the end of partition 27 is somewhat spaced from a transversely extending pin 28 integral with a partition 29, the major part of which is a coplanar extension of wall 23. Near its inner end, lever 40 is formed with a transversely extending U-shaped pivot 41 which slips over pin 28 and is held from lateral displacement from the latter by partition 29. The inner end of lever 40 has integral therewith a laterally projecting pin 42, for a purpose to be described. Cover 45 is integral with the outer end of lever 40, and ring 50 is integral with and projects downwardly from cover 45. In the inoperative position of the parts, cover 45 closes opening 24 and member 50 is disposed in reservoir 25, with lever 40 lying against partition 29.

The lever 40 and bulb 30 are conjointly operated by a trigger 60. This trigger includes a plate 61 projecting outwardly through slot 16 and having a rib 62 along its outer edge. The inner edge of plate 61 carries a pressure plate 63 arranged, when the trigger is operated, to compress bulb 30 against the rear surface of handle 11 to force air through conduit 35. A bearing 64 at the upper inner corner of the trigger slips over a pivot pin 66 formed on casing section 10a.

An arm 65 is integral with plate 61 and extends from bearing or trunnion 64 toward barrel 18. The forward end of arm 65 underlies the pin 42 on the inner end of lever 40. The upper surface of arm 65 is formed with guides 67 receiving and retaining a flat spring 55 whose free forward end overlies the pin 42. Spring 55 is so bent that, in the position of the parts shown in Fig. 1, the spring end is spaced slightly from pin 42. Spring 55 and arm 65 form a fork arm means interconnecting trigger 60 and lever 40.

The trigger 60 is biased outwardly to the inoperative or ready position by a fiat spring 70. This spring is set edgewise between a partition 71, forming part of the trigger guard 12, and a pair of pins 72 adjacent this partition. The free end of spring 70 underlies an abutment 73 formed on a web 74 extending from arm 65. The spring 70 biases trigger 60 counterclockwise, the limit to such movement being set by cover 45 seating in opening 24.

To assemble the gun, conduit 35 may be set into position in section a, positioning bulb 30 in handle 11. Then lever 40 may be positioned by sliding bearing or trunnion 41 over pin 28 and under the edge of partition or wall 27. Bearing 64 of trigger 60 is then fitted onto pin 66, with arm 65 and spring 55 disposed on either side of pin 42 on lever 40. Section 10b is then assembled to section 10a and flash suppressor is slipped over flange 21, the two casing sections and member 20 being suitably sealed to each other.

To operate the gun, trigger 60 is pulled, swinging lever 40 counter-clockwise to draw member 50 out of reservoir 25, the member 50 carrying a film of solution across its aperture. The operation of trigger 60 also compresses bulb 30 to force air through conduit 35. The stream of air forces the film off member 50 to form a bubble which is ejected through aperture 15 and flash suppressor 20.

Fig. 4 shows a modification of the gun in which bulb 30 is disposed in chamber 13. Identical parts have identical reference characters, and corresponding parts have the same reference character primed. In this embodiment conduit 35 is rectilinear except for its offset discharge end. To operate bulb 30, trigger plate 61 is extended substantially so that pressure plate 63 is adjacent the relocated bulb 30. Cover 45' has a bevelled edge, and the periphery of opening 24 is correspondingly bevelled.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the invention principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

l. A toy gun comprising, in combination, a gun-shaped casing, formed of a pair of mating half sections having correspondingly located interengageable positioning means on their mating surfaces, said sections cooperatively forming a muzzle discharge aperture, and a reservoir below the aperture and inwardly thereof with a top wall having an opening therein, the reservoir being adapted to hold a bubble forming solution; one of said sections having formed therein element locating support means and a pair of longitudinally spaced pivot means; air forcing means mounted in said support means in said one section and having a discharge passage aligned by said support means with said aperture to direct a stream of air therethrough; a lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on the forward pivot means in said one section; an apertured member on the outer end of said lever movable by said lever through the reservoir opening between the reservoir and a position intermediate said aperture and the end of said discharge passage to carry a film of the solution across the air stream; a

trigger pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on the other pivot means in said one section, and operatively engageable with said air forcing means to discharge air therefrom through said aperture upon operation of said trigger; said trigger including an arm rigid therewith extending from said other pivot means into overlapping relation with one surface of the inner end of said lever; resilient means on said arm overlapping the other surface of the inner end of said lever to bias said inner end into engagement with said arm to swing said apertured member, upon operation of said trigger, from said reservoir across the air stream in coordination with operation of said air forcing means by said trigger to form a bubble and discharge it through said aperture; and a cover for said opening secured to said lever; all of the operating elements of the gun being supported in said one section.

2. A toy gun as claimed in claim 1 in which the reservoir opening has a recessed periphery receiving said cover.

3. A toy gun as claimed in claim 1 in which said cover is integral with said lever and said member is integral with and extends from said cover.

4. A toy gun as claimed in claim 1 in which said air forcing means comprises a resiliently collapsible bulb in the path of movement of said trigger and a relatively rigid conduit extending from the bulb opening toward said aperture; said one casing section having a transverse partition recessed at its outer end to receive said conduit and having positioning means spaced from said partition engageable with positioning means on said conduit; said conduit forming the sole support for said bulb to maintain said bulb in predetermined relation to said trigger.

5. A toy gun as claimed in claim 4 in which the pivot of said lever comprises a U-shaped lateral extension of the lever, and the forward pivot means comprises a pin in said one casing section spaced from an end of said partition to engage in said U-shaped extension with the partition end overlying said extension.

6. A toy gun as claimed in claim 4 in which said bulb is disposed in the gun above the handle thereof.

7. A toy gun as claimed in claim 1 in which said resilient means comprises a leaf spring secured to said arm and having a free end extending along such other surface of the inner end of said lever.

8. A toy gun as claimed in claim 7 in which the inner end of said lever has a lateral extension, and said arm and the free end of said spring extend over opposite sides of said lateral extension.

9. A toy gun as claimed in claim 1 in which said air forcing means comprises a resiliently collapsible bulb in the path of movement of said trigger and a relatively rigid conduit extending from the bulb opening toward said aperture; said conduit being fixedly positioned in said one casing section and supporting said bulb in predetermined relation to said trigger; said trigger initiating compression of said bulb subsequent to movement of said member to such position.

10. A toy gun as claimed in claim 1 including a leaf spring mounted between support means in said one casing section and having a free end engaging the trigger arm to bias the trigger to the inoperative position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,560,582 Limber July 17, 1951 2,574,117 Ludwig Nov. 6, 1951 2,599,888 Beezley et al. June 10, 1952 2,631,404 Clausen "Mar. 17, 1953 

